


American Pie [UNEDITED]

by silverskyfullofstars



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fourth of July, Gen, Happy 100th birthday Steve, Pool Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 11:02:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15169295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverskyfullofstars/pseuds/silverskyfullofstars
Summary: The Avengers are hosting a Fourth of July pool party when they realize that Steve has never heard the song American Pie...Cue music.





	American Pie [UNEDITED]

**Author's Note:**

> I was behind on writing this but I wanted to get it posted today, so if there are mistakes or it doesn't flow well, that's on me. Italics are either stressed words or song lyrics, and bolded song lyrics are lines that could refer to one of the heroes present.

At Avengers Tower, the Fourth of July was a big deal. Besides the obvious national holiday, it was also Steve’s birthday, and a general excuse to gather any and all available heroes on the Tower’s rooftop pool deck. This, of course, meant the annual deck chair cleaning and expected hose-related antics and arguments, as well as an order of two thousand sparklers off of Tony’s Amazon account.

 

“Tony!” Pepper yelled over the sound of machinery, still trying to puzzle out how he got them on Amazon in the first place. “Fireworks are illegal in the state of New York!”

“I’m Tony Stark!” he yelled back from under a car, sliding out to continue the conversation. “Plus, they’re sparklers. The internet says they’re legal in some counties if you’re over 18.”

“Did you check which counties?”

“Uh…”

 

-

 

“We need a cake, Pep!” Tony yelled across the common floor from the kitchen, where a flaming container of salad dressing sat next to a bottle of soy sauce and a blowtorch. “100 candles, six layers, red, white, and blue!”

“You’ve got a pile of paperwork to do before you even think about ordering a cake, Tony,” Pepper replied from the doorway, a bundle of files in her hands. “Also, shouldn’t you ask Steve what cake he wants?”

“No, I’m busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Barnes and Barton wants to know if soy sauce is flammable, but Cap and his Murder Boyfriend are out on a date so he can’t be here.”

“Why isn’t Clint here?”

“I’m playing with fire, Pep, why do you think?”

 

She didn’t bother asking about the cake again, because Tony was already picking up the blowtorch. Pepper sighed, turning around to go find out when Steve was coming back.

 

-

 

The Fourth of July was luckily a hot, sunny day worthy of an Avengers pool party. By noon, all the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and even a few Wakandans had arrived. Everyone from Sam to Scott to Steve to Strange was present, which counted as a win. The Avengers weren’t known for being great planners.

 

Someone, evidently less fearful for the state of the patio than they should be, had let Tony use the grill, and he, Strange, and Peter Quill were fighting over the best way to grill hot dogs while Bruce discreetly put a fire extinguisher next to the barbecue. Steve and Bucky were sitting under an umbrella, a bowl of tortilla chips and guacamole between them. Steve was talking with Sam, pausing every so often to toss chips in his mouth, while Bucky, hair up in a bun and wearing an obnoxious pair of cheap neon pink sunglasses, was apparently trying to see how many tiny umbrellas he could put in Clint’s hair, the archer snoring in the deck chair next to him. Drax and Mantis were helping, making bets on the number of umbrellas they could cover Clint with before he woke up. Thor was in the pool with Lucky, the dog doing its best to splash the entire pool out of its confines while wrestling with him for a tennis ball. Pepper, Hope, and Gamora were sitting by the side, drinking lemonade and trying not to get splashed too much.

 

Natasha, Peter Parker, Shuri, Scott, and Luis were crowded around the speakers, arguing over what music to play.

“I still think my music is best,” Nat said, pointing to a twenty-song Spotify playlist. “If we’re going for music that actually sounds good along with having a sufficient number of puns.”

“Yeah, but aren’t we going for, like, the most amazing Captain America playlist ever?” Luis asked. “If we’re gonna have that many songs, there’s gonna have to be some crappy ones in there, man.”

“I still think the fact that you have an aux cord is laughable, but Natasha has a point,” Shuri said. “We actually want to _enjoy_ the music.”

“Can we just listen to Broadway?” Peter pleaded. “The Fourth of July isn’t complete until we’ve played the In The Heights recording at least once -”

“Hey, Nat, why isn’t American Pie on here?”

 

Nat’s head snapped up. “What did you say, Scott?”

He held up the phone. “I’ve been scrolling through, and you and Clint forgot American Pie by Don McLean.”

“Holy shit. TONY!”

The patio fell silent, and Tony popped up from behind the grill, Iron Man glove glowing and a burnt hot dog in his hand. “Yes?”

“American Pie isn’t on the playlist.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Steve’s been defrosted _eight fucking years_ and we never played him American Pie!”

Tony looked Nat in the eye, dead serious. “Put it on. We’re all singing along, too. Clint!”

 

Clint woke with a start, throwing paper umbrellas all around his chair. “What!” he said, sounding surprised and still slightly asleep.

“Get up here. Scott, you too. We’re getting the karaoke mics.”

“Already?” Steve said. “It’s only five o’clock!”

“Yes, and you should have heard this song years ago!"

 

Natasha finally got Spotify set up and tapped the play button, the first notes of the song spilling out of the speakers.

 

 _A long long time ago_ __  
_I can still remember how_ __  
_That music used to make me smile_ __  
_And I knew if I had my chance_ __  
_That I could make those people dance_ __  
_And maybe they'd be happy for a while_ __  
_But February made me shiver_ __  
_With every paper I'd deliver_ __  
_Bad news on the doorstep_ __  
_I couldn't take one more step_ __  
_I can't remember if I cried_ __  
_When I read about his widowed bride_ __  
_Something touched me deep inside_   
The day the music died

 

The rest of the people at the party gathered around the main deck, the current center of activity. Tony grinned at Steve as the chorus started, beginning to sing along.  


_So Bye, bye_ **_Miss American Pie_ ** __  
_Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry_ __  
_And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye_ __  
_Singin' this'll be the day that I die_   
This'll be the day that I die.

 

As the music picked up, more people started singing along, evidently familiar with the lyrics. Clint and Scott raised their voices as Tony danced dramatically over Steve’s deck chair, stealing corn chips on his way there.  


_Did you write the book of love_ __  
_And do you have faith in God above_ __  
_If the Bible tells you so?_ __  
_Do you believe in rock and roll?_ __  
_Can music save your mortal soul?_   
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

 

Tony, still with three chips in one hand, pulled a paper umbrella out of Bucky’s hair and stuck it behind Steve’s ear. Natasha almost fell out of her chair laughing at the look on Bucky’s face, one of pure betrayal.

“You stole my umbrella!” he shouted over the music. Steve reached up to touch the umbrella in his hair, but left it there.

 __  
**_Well, I know that you're in love with him_** __  
_'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym_ __  
_You both kicked off your shoes_ __  
_Man, I dig those rhythm and blues_ _  
__I was a lonely teenage broncin'_ ** _buck_** \- Bucky was jostled jokingly by a few people on this line -

 _With a pink carnation and a pickup truck_ __  
_But I knew I was out of luck_ __  
_The day the music died_   
I started singin'  


_Bye, bye Miss American Pie_ __  
_Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry_ __  
_And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye_ __  
_Singin' this'll be the day that I die_   
This'll be the day that I die  


At the end of the chorus, Clint swiped the microphone from Tony, whose momentum nearly carried him straight into Pepper. Scott threw Clint two birthday hats, evidently prepared for every line that could possibly reference one of their friends.

 

 _Now, for ten years we've been on our own_ __  
_And moss grows fat on a rolling stone_ __  
_But, that's not how it used to be_ __  
_When the jester sang for_ **_the king and queen_ ** __  
_In a coat he borrowed from James Dean_ __  
_And a voice that came from you and me_ __  
_Oh and while the king was looking down_ __  
_The jester stole his thorny crown_ __  
_The courtroom was adjourned_ __  
_No verdict was returned_ __  
_And while Lennon read a book on Marx_ __  
_The quartet practiced in the park_ __  
_And we sang dirges in the dark_ __  
_The day the music died_   
We were singin'  


Clint’s voice was surprisingly good, and everyone laughed when he gave Pepper and Tony each a paper party hat on the line “king and queen,” as if crowning them.

 

 _Bye, bye Miss American Pie_ __  
_Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry_ __  
_Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye_ __  
_And singin' this'll be the day that I die_   
This'll be the day that I die  


The microphone got passed off to Scott, ready with another joke for Clint and Sam.

 

 _Helter skelter in a summer swelter_ __  
**_The birds flew off_ ** _with a fallout shelter_ __  
_Eight miles high and falling fast_ __  
_It landed foul on the grass_ __  
_The players tried for a forward pass_ __  
_With the jester on the sidelines in a cast_ __  
_Now the half-time air was sweet perfume_ __  
_While sergeants played a marching tune_ __  
_We all got up to dance_ __  
_Oh, but we never got the chance_ __  
_'Cause the players tried to take the field_ __  
_The marching band refused to yield_ __  
_Do you recall what was revealed_ __  
_The day the music died?_   
We started singin'  


Sam groaned. “Jeez, more bird jokes?”

Steve, who had been smiling at the humor of the whole situation from the start, grinned at him.

“It is kinda funny, _Falcon_.”

“Yeah!” Bucky cut in gleefully. “Clint says you guys are bird bros, you’re going to make him sad!”

 

 _Bye, bye Miss American Pie_ __  
_Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry_ __  
_Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye_ __  
_And singin' this'll be the day that I die_   
This'll be the day that I die  


Tony grabbed the microphone back from Scott, pointing at Thor to begin with and sweeping a slightly uncoordinated hand around to indicate the Guardians as well.

 

 _Oh, and there we were all in one place_ __  
**_A generation lost in space_ ** __  
_With no time left to start again_ __  
_So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick_ __  
_Jack Flash sat on a candlestick_ __  
_'Cause fire is the devil's only friend_ __  
_Oh and as I watched him on the stage_ __  
_My hands were clenched in fists of rage_ __  
_No angel born in Hell_ __  
_Could break that Satan's spell_ __  
_And as the flames climbed high into the night_ __  
_To light the sacrificial rite_ __  
_I saw Satan laughing with delight_ __  
_The day the music died_   
He was singin'  


“That wasn’t a joke about Matt, was it?” Peter asked Shuri.

“I don’t think so, but with the amount of references they’re making, it might be.”

“Hm. Probably not the evil stuff, but maybe the mention of a devil in general.”

“I mean, the song wasn’t meant to be about superheroes. They’ve gotta work with what they were given.”

 

 _Bye, bye Miss American Pie_ __  
_Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry_ __  
_Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye_ __  
_Singin' this'll be the day that I die_   
This'll be the day that I die  


The mic got passed to Clint again, who grabbed Natasha and spun her around jokingly.

 

 **_I met a girl who sang the blues_ ** __  
_And I asked her for some happy news_ __  
_But she just smiled and turned away_  


Nat laughed and threw a chip in his direction as he sat down.

 

 _I went down to the sacred store_ __  
_Where I'd heard the music years before_ __  
_But the man there said the music wouldn't play_ __  
_And in the streets the children screamed_ __  
_The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed_ __  
_But not a word was spoken_   
The church bells all were broken

 

Tony, Clint, and Scott crowded around the karaoke microphone, and Pepper had a feeling who would be made fun of next based on some obscure line.

 __  
**_And the three men I admire most_ ** __  
**_The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost_ ** __  
_They caught the last train for the coast_ __  
_The day the music died_   
And they were singing

 

Steve laughed, Sam groaned jokingly, and Bucky made a dramatic pouting face before dissolving into laughter when the titles of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were assigned to each of them respectively.

 

The others laughed too, and the microphone was turned off as all the heroes joined in for the last chorus, as if they were gathered around a fire at summer camp.  


_Bye, bye Miss American Pie_ __  
_Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry_ __  
_And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye_ __  
_Singin' this'll be the day that I die_ __  
_This'll be the day that I die_   
They were singing

 _Bye, bye Miss American Pie_ __  
_Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry_ __  
_Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye_   
Singin' this'll be the day that I die

 

The day was warm, the air smelled like food, and the heroes were as close as they’d ever been, arms thrown around each other as the music tapered off. People began to relax again, with the occasional giggle as one of Tony’s awful dance moves was recreated or remembered. The only thing left before dinner and fireworks was -

“Oh, no,” Steve said, dread filling his voice. Bucky and Tony were coming toward him, Tony with a lighter and Bucky carrying the biggest cake Steve had ever seen, decorated eye-wateringly bright with red, white, and blue fondant. It was covered in sparklers.

“Happy 100th birthday, Steve!”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think you can actually buy sparklers on Amazon, sorry.


End file.
